


The First & Principal Thing

by 7cinnamonroses



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Applied Natural Selection, Can be read as a Reader fic, Child Murder, Daddy would be proud!, F/M, Falling In Love, Feels, He's No Sexist Though So Yay?, Hux is Not Nice, Hux-centric, Murder, One-Sided Attraction, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Hux, People die in this, Slow Burn, Starkiller Base, Trust me! It'll make sense later, the resistance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2018-12-17 22:21:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7cinnamonroses/pseuds/7cinnamonroses
Summary: We begin by coveting what we see every day. – H. Lecter, Silence of the LambsI want you to hit the boy to the right of you. Hard. – A. Hux





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate Summary: There's still 2 years until the events of The Force Awakens and  
> Armitage Hux has 99 Problems and spies, technology and a woman are just some!  
> (The tone of this summary would be cruelly misleading)
> 
> We're off to a dark start.

_She had been luminous..._

The boy had touched a nerve. Which of course had been his goal and everyone was very aware of that. Kiron Artax had never been a bright boy and the thing that all non-bright boys had in common was that from the moment when their fists could not solve a problem they only knew one other option; they got rather personal.

So, when he had called the Hux boy a **_dirty bastard_** , Kiron Artax, tall for his age, with sandy blond hair, knew very well that these words would hit their mark.

It had seemed like the perfect set-up, too, so while not bright, the boy was not exactly dense either. Armitage Hux, tall for his age too, but dreadfully lanky due to his most recent growth-spurt, had not been with his usual band of guards. Few of the other teenagers actually liked the son of Brendol Hux, most of them loathed him even, but all of them were kept at arm’s length by a group of child soldiers who had been picked up on one nasty Outer-Rim planet or another. Today Hux had attended class alone, so when he snarled at Kiron as he was wont to do whenever someone offered a –in his perception– stupid answer to their teacher’s question, the stronger of the two had taken it upon himself to remind the _arrogant little prick_ of his status of birth. They had a free period and were in their training facility and Hux had just slid down a rope after climbing it, huffing from physical effort.

The words did have the desired impact, as evidenced by an angry blush that clashed dreadfully with young Hux’ ginger, accurately combed back tresses. So far, nothing surprising and everything went so well, that Kiron felt rather good about himself. The boy who he had just insulted was yet a bit shorter than him and probably weighted about half of what he did. Everyone knew that he was a sorry sight in the ring and solely dependant on his guards to do the beating up for him –something he did not shy away from whenever someone did try to stand up to him. Of course, the absence of the guards provided Kiron with the perfect opportunity.

Here, of course, laid the first issue with his simple little plan. The guards would be back, which he would have realized if he had thought the situation through. He also might have wondered about why exactly the other boy had chosen to turn up in class alone today. All of those were very wise observations that were beyond the capabilities of a non-bright adolescent and while non-bright people were sometimes wonderful assets to the new Stormtrooper program, they had no place with the children who were trained to be leaders.

When Armitage Hux’s foot collided with the side of Kiron’s head, the redhead looked ready to remove the other boy from the ranks of future greatness.

With ringing ears and a big hand clutching his head, Kiron glared at the slightly smaller boy who appeared to be 55 kilos of pale skin and far too many bones. The other one’s eyes weren’t right somehow as they glared at one another. Kiron lacked the words to describe what exactly caused him to feel so unsettled, but there was an expression in those blue orbs that had a cold shudder run up his spine. He quickly decided that it must’ve been the hit he had taken to the head.

This was perfect though! Hux had attacked him and he could finally smash the little shit’s face in for every time he had openly mocked him.

No words were spoken. No more taunts, no final insult.

Their spectators did that for them.

Some were cheering them on, thirsty for some form of entertainment, while others told them in no uncertain terms to knock it off. One of the few girls actually tried to get them to stop by reminding them of repercussions they might both face.

Neither of the boys paid her, or her companions, any attention. Kiron only heard the voices cheering him on. Armitage was occupied by concentrating on the taller and bigger boy’s movements, trying not to dwell on the anger inside of him. He pushed it down, swallowed it like he swallowed other unbefitting emotions every day of his existence.

Kiron did not have the patience to wait. Few 14 year-olds had.

He took one step back, ripping his arm back, clenching his fist. He could almost hear the crunch of teeth at the inevitable impact. The sweet sting when his knuckles would meet the other’s high cheekbone was something he looked forward to. Hardness meeting flesh. Heat went through him at the thought. Soon, the thought, he’d be rewarded with this incredible feeling of shattering bones.

He never felt it.

Instead, with a quick movement, Armitage ducked and in one swift motion, buried the sharp tip of his elbow in the other’s stomach. Kiron gasped, the air knocked out of him, stumbling forward, disorientated for a second. This second was all the other youth needed to bury the very same elbow in his stumbling opponent’s face, shattering his nose with a loud crack.

Kiron howled in pain, falling to his knees, clutching his nose, blood running between his fingers and down his face. His light uniform was quickly drenched with scarlet spots. The room was very, very silent out of a sudden, save for Kiron’s gasps and moans.

None of them had thought this outcome to be likely. If anything, they would have bet their next meal on the two boy’s places to be opposite.

As Armitage stepped towards the taller teenager, his face was blank, his hands steady as he linked his right arm around Kiron’s throat. Locking him in place, ignoring the other’s attempts to grasp at him with bloody hands while he slowly but gradually cut off the respiratory passages of his classmate.

When the others realised what was happening, a girl ran out to get an overseer, a teacher or any adult really that could intervene, while the rest of them yelled at Hux to stop it.

He had won!

He had made his position clear!  
When he didn’t budge and Kiron began to struggle harder in his desperation, another boy stepped towards them. He stopped in his tracks when Hux’ gaze met his.

His expression was still calm, his breath not even going faster, but his eyes…

Nobody could look away, though they yearned to avoid the sight in front of them. Kiron turning dark red in the face, tears in his eyes as he tried to throw himself back to tackle Hux. The redhead didn’t budge.

When he spoke, the others felt cold.

“Would anyone else like to discuss my bloodline?”

It was a voice with which mediocre weather was discussed; Calm, collected, wholly unimpressed by the situation.

Kiron had turned blue by the time Hux got tired.

 

_18 years later_

 

Excessive mining had left its mark on the planet’s surface and even this description made for a sorry, altogether lacking account of it’s appearance. More poetically minded people would describe it as an open scar. It stretched over the planet’s diameter, about as deep as it was wide, vast amounts of rock and land slashed and hacked away.

The newly appointed General, younger than most men and women who shared his position, was not poetically minded. When he first travelled to the planet formerly known as Ilum, he did not see a scar. His blue eyes perceived the indentation as a sign of greatness, of power and great resolve. A planet, now nothing more than an asset which could be used by a whole operation. Even after decades, the planet hid away high amounts of kyber crystals. These crystals had been of utmost importance to the glorious Empire, serving as a power source for the super weapon that had been referred to as the Death Star.

With high efficiency, these crystals were now mined once more, which only increased the giant gash in the middle of the planet.

To him, it was just as well. This planet was a tool. Had he been fool enough to allow base notions like sympathy to stand in the path that would lead them to re-establish order in the galaxy, he would not be deserving of the position he now held. But he was deserving of this position and would be deserving of even higher ones. This he knew. Arrogance and misplaced vanity had nothing to do with this assessment of his capabilities. He had been taught to judge himself with as keen an eye as those who were watching him. Rules and personal goals had been helpful to his growth. Rules had provided him with a guidebook of conduct and expectations, whereas personal goals helped and motivated him to surpass his natural talents. One day they would enable him to reach his destined place at the top.

At 32, Armitage Hux was an efficient member of the First Order’s military. Sympathy was the last thing on his mind when it came to ensuring that he remained efficient. When he had personally sent down Stormtroopers to liquidate any and every form of living entity that might interrupt the founding of the new military base, he had felt no stirrings of troublesome empathy or dread. The Order’s success was his first and foremost directive, his own position too closely linked to it.

Tests had begun only weeks after his arrival. Everything worked so much more swiftly when a true leader was present and the tall man had been striving to become just that for the better part of his life.

Today, the engineers had scheduled a test, which he would oversee personally.

It would be time soon. Engineers, technicians and personnel had worked day and night in service of their common goal. The last test had been. A few technicalities still upset the specialists. Containing the energy that would be required not only to alter the planet's position but also to enable its ultimate purpose had proven a trying undertaking. Still, it was much easier to move an existing planet and use it as their base than to built a space station, which had the size of a planet.  
While he made his way through one of the many Hangars towards the grounds that had been reserved for today’s undertaking, his heavy boots mixed with a disarray of multiple orders, engines roaring as they came to life and the monotone voice that came from the speakers. All of it echoed from the crisp walls. The silence left behind by departed TIE Fighters did little to the ship's incessant amount of noise. Hundreds of men and women were moving in and out of the area. None of them was without purpose all of tem were assigned to one task or another. Those who were caught by one of the many overseers that he had instated to ensure productivity would be punished without exceptions.

The Order came first.

Always!

There was a more practical reason for Hux’ insistence on strict schedules and random controls. The Resistance, biggest foil in the First Order's plan to reclaim the Galaxy from a corrupt and incompetent government, had been attempting to gather information on the Order, its affiliates as well as their next steps for months. Only today, a group of well-placed spies had been cornered and taken into custody as they had tried to make an escape.

It had been more than sheer luck, that all transmissions of data had never left the base. Keeping in mind that all their plans would be for nothing if their biggest trump card were found, Hux had ordered all and every means of communication to be local. Save for the command centre, no transmission could be made off-planet. Months and years of hard work and secrecy would not be rendered useless due to one well-placed comm-message. One spy had been caught during his attempt to break into the command centre. The First Order had means to get people to talk and so his companions had been found out.

Their number had made Hux furious. How could the Resistance place install 4 people right under his nose and almost get away with it?

He’d have them executed by tomorrow.

None of this had been a product of sheer luck and it filled the young man with some sort of pride. Luck was an illusion for the lazy and dim witted. His father's training methods - improved only by some alterations he had seen to himself- were impeccable, and he would really rather account for a positive outcome with hard work and logical thinking.

When he entered, the engineers were already set up to begin, the man in charge in deep conversation with one of the science officers. He stepped towards the viewing platform. About two levels beneath him, around twenty mechanics, technicians and other personnel was busy with last minute adjustment. He stood behind a solid viewing-plane, eyes sweeping over the machinery and a sudden and unbidden rush of anticipation overcame him.

Soon, he would be able to share the news of a functional station with the Supreme Leader. The sheer size of their undertaking would mean a few years of work, but once the engineers would be ready, their real work would begin on a larger, more glorious scale.

"The quintessence will explode if it isn't stabilized!" came a voice from behind him, tearing him out of his anticipation of glory. The words had been spoken softly, not intended for his ears. General Hux turned his gaze towards the source of the voice. It belonged to the officer whom he had seen talking to her superior, clad in the light grey uniform of a lieutenant. She had placed herself next to the engineer in chief, looking up at him with burning eyes.

"You are forgetting your rank, Lieutenant Pesha!" was the much louder and dismissive reply. Even though he stood rather close, he did not hear what was said next. The only reason he was sure that the young Lieutenant had replied was due to the angry outburst of her superior.

"Is anything the matter, Major?" Hux asked, turning towards the two officers. The woman stepped away, her gaze averting from his own immediately. Major Lin however, straightened, unwilling to look foolish in front of a General that was 16 years younger than himself.

"Of course not, General! I assure you, the procedure is perfectly safe. Lieutenant Pesha is forgetting her position." the man assured Hux. With an arched brow, the young General turned his attention to the young Lieutenant.

"Is that so, Lieutenant?"

Her eyes flew up, sparkling with frustration and ill-temper. The muscles of her face worked involuntarily and her mouth twitched with some emotion close to displeasure.

"I am not trying to make a scene, sir! But the tests have to be postponed." she told him in a steady voice, lifting her chin ever so slightly.

"Lieutenant that's enough!" the older engineer fumed at her. She seemed to fight a sigh of exhaustion. "General, I beg your pardon, this is most irregular..."

Frowning, Hux raised a hand, silencing Lin. It was a troublesome vice of older officers to take offense with well-founded observations that disagreed with their own. Especially when the ones arguing were females. It had been a significant short-coming of the former Empire to exclude women from military careers. Sure, a few of them had become illustrious members, some of them even making it into the highest positions. But that had been the exception, not the rule.

No such nonsense existed in the First Order. They had not had the luxury of gender segregation and a female Stormtrooper could kill just as well as a male one.  
Lin and many of the older officers, those who had already served the Empire and had been brought up with established gender-roles, still found themselves unwilling to change their views.

"Why would you come to this conclusion?" he addressed the significantly shorter woman.

Her eyes appeared to be at a loss whether it would be too forward to make contact with his. Eventually she took a deep breath, stood incredibly straight and looked up at him.

"I ran the numbers once more, sir. The amount of kyber crystals which are used to stabilize the quintessence is not sufficient to contain the energy out-put in this case. With the combined energy of quintessence as well as solar energy which will be used, the outcome would be most unfortunate." came the explanation, every word laced with conviction.

Lin glared at her.

“Sir, I personally did the math on this. I assure you, the energy will be appropriately contained.”

This was such a draining conversation. He had two options to end it; postpone the tests and anger the engineer-in-chief or go through with it and run a high risk.

“Entertaining the thought that Lieutenant Pesha is correct; what would you say is the risk?”

She did not hesitate.

“Everyone down there would be annihilated in the resulting blast, sir.” she jerked her head towards the men and women working at the machinery.

That would be unfortunate indeed.

“General, I ask you…”

“Proceed.” Hux stated after a moment of contemplation. “However, in case anything goes wrong, Major, you will have to answer for the loss of personnel. Lieutenant Pesha, you are facing consequences for speaking against a superior’s direct command and will be sent to the detention facility for misconduct in case you are wrong.”

The Major didn’t even have the decency to contain his glee at the idea.

“Thank you, General Hux!” he said, tilting his head in respect, whereas he barked at Pesha to get to her station. The men and women on the lower level left their work and got behind a safety-plane.

When the room’s roof was opened to allow the required solar energy, Hux stood at the viewing-plane again. He watched the machinery come to life, warm up, energy assembling and Lin’s eyes sparkle with victorious joy.

Until they watched the room beneath them go up in flames.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I re-wrote this chapter twice. Initially I wanted to kick it off a few days later and it felt... off.  
> Now I have them all where I need them to be.   
> Comments & Kudos always appreciated.

Chapter 2

 

All was quiet.

The transparisteel that had been used to build the viewing area was fire, heat and soundproof. It had to be for the kinds of tests that would have taken place. All it did was to allow them a clear view to the tragedy happening below. One glance at the controls would have sufficed to understand that survival of anyone in that room was unlikely. While security mechanisms had already been set into motion, lowering the temperature as a consequence, it was still improbable that anyone would have survived an environment that was now around 200 degrees. It was hell, made to fit into one room.

The people in the command centre that had gathered to watch today’s experiment had frozen in their movements. None spoke, nor did they take their eyes off of the damage to life and machinery that had taken place.  
The blast had seemed to turn them into stone. None dared to speak, too afraid of finding themselves at the centre of attention. In situations such as this, nobody wanted to be noticed, least of all the man who had been in charge and had just disregarded objections that had foretold this very occurrence. Lin had become a stiff, brittle pillar next to Hux. His rigid expression didn’t falter when finally, after what had felt like hours there was a movement.

Turning away from the window, the General walked towards the exit. Having taken a few steps, he spoke the first words since the blast. They were loud in everyone’s ears, even though he didn’t even raise his voice.

“Lieutenant Pesha, notify the inner-security department and have them begin efforts to put out the fire and secure the machinery. Have them run tests according to your theory on insufficient quintessence containment.” She did not wait until he was finished speaking. Before he could finish his order, she had already been speaking into her comm.

Lin had yet to move.

Hux paused then, pondering his next steps. It was only for an instant, but before he could even voice his next order to the young female, she almost pleaded:

“Should I ask the sick-bay for androids who are capable to retrieve possible survivors from a hot environment, sir?”

Her voice was a bit shaky. Part of him was certain the rest of her was too.

“Yes.” He answered simply.

Anger did not show itself in his stance. No sign of dismay marked the General’s pale features. Appearing calm and in control, he took another few steps towards the door. As he walked out, he did not even look back at Major Lin.

“You are hereby removed from this program, Major.”

Seeing the other man’s face contort from an expression of shocked surprise into blind, hot rage hadn’t been necessary. It wasn’t important how the member of the First Order’s Navy felt about their removal. Problems had to be extinguished because they had the potential to jeopardize the whole operation.

They were intolerable and Lin’s false sense of pride had cost them dearly today, causing the man to become just that; intolerable.

As of now, he had to find a new engineer to take over the man’s position. This would cost them time.

The tight grasp on his anger did not falter for a moment.

Lin’s real punishment would consist of more than just a simple removal from Starkiller. He was getting too old, too rigid in his thinking. The First Order was different from that! Lin had to go. New projects needed young minds to see them come to life. The old engineers of the Empire had failed twice in building a super-weapon. Experience was good. Obstinancy however, was an issue!

All Hux needed was another reason to remove him and he was convinced that the older man would not disappoint him in digging his own grave. Today the man had singlehandedly cost them 30 good workers. Personal motives like vanity and pride had always been an unforgivable flaw to Hux. They always ended up keeping beings from recognizing the bigger picture, from understanding your own shortcomings.  
While he did not want to see Lin removed irrevocably, he deemed his services to be of more value under the observing eye of Grand Admiral Sloane. The woman –now in her 70s– was still an important and active member of the Order. She had always been highly capable of managing men like Lin.

Pesha did not deserve the role she would be playing in this scheme. But there was no other way to prove how irritable Lin had come to be. Somehow, he would find a way to make it up to her –if she survived, which he thought likely.

Without another moment of hesitance, he sent her a voice recording.  

 

Lieutenant Pesha had just slipped back into her uniform when Hux entered the sick-bay. Her left eye was swollen and the skin around it had darkened significantly. Her lip was split open and she held her arm rather awkwardly. When he walked through the door, she straightened all the same.

“At ease, Lieutenant.”

With a barely visible flinch, the woman’s stance relaxed slightly.

“I must apologize, sir. I am afraid that Major Lin mistook my interference for misconduct. I only meant to explain that you had ordered an investigation into the accident, but I must’ve expressed myself poorly.” she told him in a steady voice.

“You are of course aware that I will be interviewing Major Lin about this?” Hux more stated than asked.

Once more, she didn’t leave him waiting for an answer.

“Certainly, sir!”

When Hux had received reports about physical violence only a few days after he ordered a thorough investigation, he had been developing a strategy against a rather well-organized band of guerrilla units on one of the planets that had been a settlement of the First Order for several years now.

It had not particularly startled him to hear that Lin’s dismay would make itself known. He had also been sure that Lieutenant Pesha would be subjected to said dismay due to her active involvement in both the investigation as well as her initial objections to the test. What had surprised Hux was how little time it had taken Lin to do something so incredibly stupid.

While he had just told Pesha that Lin would still be questioned, he had already watched the recordings of what had taken place. After he had ordered her to lead the investigation, she had dutifully and meticulously collected every scrap of data, had questioned her colleagues and had assembled every plan that was available to her. That she waited until the very end to seek out the Major, asking for his personal sets of data as well as his data-pads spoke volumes in terms of her social intelligence.

Lin’s reaction too had answered every question Hux might have had.

He had no time for personal animosities, nor for a hurt ego that might have an impact on the quality of their work here. Lin had to leave as soon as a safe passage back to the Unknown Regions could be arranged. Now, Hux had enough on the man to justify his final days on Starkiller to be spent in a detention unit.

The whole matter was entirely distasteful and distracting and he despised it.

Had Lin listened to Pesha, the tests would simply have been re-scheduled and he wouldn’t have 28 dead and two surviving but now badly hurt technicians to replace. Seasoned officers were becoming a rare breed these days, which was the only reason he would remain alive and not be executed for treason.

Pesha however, had proven herself to be a capable engineer according to the other members of her team. Every single member had answered her questions, had been very forthcoming, offering their help in analysing the mistake. Their eagerness had filled Hux with pride of the mostly younger personnel and strengthened his belief in their cause.

Before him, he had Pesha’s file on his data pad. She had worked on the new Resurgent-class that was currently built. Her considerable understanding and quick mind were the reason for her to come highly recommended for this project. Kuat-Entralla Engineering had sung her praises and he decided –as a kind of repayment for the role she played in getting rid of Lin– he would put her abilities to the test.

Her bruises and the dislocated shoulder would heal. Hux did not regret the steps he had taken to cause Lin to loose his composure. He did however regret that it had been necessary in the first place. This whole matter wasn’t what a General should be spending his time with and it did nothing to improve his foul mood. It had been beneath him.

Yet, he could not supress a sense of glee when he had watched the security holos of Lin being removed from Pesha by a few Stormtroopers.

Retribution had always been a pleasant thing to watch.  


“General Hux, sir!” Lin greeted and immediately lost some of his decorum when he saw that Pesha had entered behind the young General. His tone of voice gave away just how displeased he was at seeing her. “Sir, permission to speak?”

“Denied.” Hux replied and sat down without sparing the other man a single look. “Lieutenant, take a seat. You too, Major.”  
Several days after the accident Hux had found time to inform both officers about how their significantly different roles in the whole matter would affect their futures. The data assembled by Pesha and her colleagues had proven that Lin had worked with a mathematical formula that had been proven obsolete a few months ago. The heat had also been far too advanced to be contained by the way Lin had developed. It had been the same method used on the two Death Stars. But this wasn’t just another Death Star.

Progress would have prevented this tragedy, but the elder officer had been too assured of his own experience to listen.

“Major Lin, you will be leaving this base with the next transport set to the Unknown Regions. Grand Admiral Sloane wishes for a senior officer to oversee the final steps in the production of the new Star Destroyers.”

It was a large step back for the man and every involved person was aware of it.

“Sir…” he began and Hux lifted his gaze for the first time. The younger man’s mouth twitched and Lin knew he had over-stepped.

The following silence felt as heavy as the one they all had experienced during and after the explosion. It wasn’t heat that caused it though, but a cold glare.

“I will inform you, Major, that you are only allowed to leave due to the Grand Admiral’s request. Had it been for me, I would have seen you executed for treason.” Hux drawled, seemingly bored with the other man’s antics. Deep down he yearned to smash his face in. This had been what had caused the Empire to fall; Personal interests and vanity becoming more important than the greater good. He would not allow it, too much was at stake. “Assaulting another officer who was acting as my personal investigator, withholding vital information to the successful realization of this project and fatal acts of negligence are only a few of the offenses I might have brought up against you. Do you really wish to speak right now, Major?”

Pesha’s gaze flew towards the table. She had been glancing at her superior in an almost pleading manner. Now she blanched, her back straightening just a little more. It was likely that she thought that she would also be punished.

Retribution was an art that afforded patience and contrast.

And Hux was a patient man.

When nothing more was said the young man continued.

“Grand Admiral Sloane also informed me, that the Order recently acquired some old machinery from the Imperial Era. She wishes for them to be modernized and repaired. This too, will be part of your new… challenges.”

Lin’s dark eyes glared at Hux when he finished. His skin had taken an unflattering shade of pink.

“What about her?” he snapped, no longer caring.

The General tilted his head to the side, then looked over to Pesha who happened to give the impression of being close to being sick.

“How good of you to bring me to that!” Hux taunted without sounding particularly amused. “Lieutenant;”

The young woman’s eyes met his for but an instant. It was the first time he registered their colour.

Pretty.

She was quick to lower her gaze again and he dismissed the thought.

“Sir!” she answered, her voice sounding more solid than she appeared to be herself.

How quaint, she really thought she was in trouble.

“You will be in charge of analysing past mistakes of the weapon. You will also be in charge of developing a way to cool the whole system to a degree that is no longer fatal.”

Her eyes found his again and her mouth dropped open.

He actually fought the urge to smile.

“WHAT?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for the kudos ^_^  
> This chapter will have a short insight into Pesha's POV. I decided to write it as one would write a Reader's narrative for plot reasons. Can't say a lot more without giving it away, I'm afraid. Sorry ^^"  
> Not sure whether this counts as a Hux/Reader fic now. Until I'm sure, I'll leave it in the OC corner.  
> Comments & Feedback always appreciated :)  
> Hope you'll enjoy!

You were ruined! As soon as the General ordered you to attend a meeting in a conference room in sector 7, you knew it. It had been an extreme effort to walk the familiar halls of the base. By now you could find your way in your sleep and with the Order’s strict regimen you sometimes almost had had to in the past. After the demand of your attendance had reached you, moving had become a challenge with your legs as heavy as lead.

What had you done wrong this time? You had seen to your duties as you had been told, poured as much effort into fulfilling the assignment that the General had given to you as was possible. Not only because more deaths would follow if the mistake wasn't found. But also to understand the workings of the machine better.

To become more effective.

Of more use for the cause.

Now though, your doom had arrived and no amount of hard work would prevent it.

You had received a message from the General -or rather from one of the people working in communications- telling you the exact time and space of the meeting, clearing you from your regular tasks. They had conveniently failed to inform you about the nature of said gathering. Would they punish you? Would Lin be successful in putting all the blame on you? Would this be the end of all your plans for the illusive future? It seemed likely. Lin probably had talked to the General. You had no illusions about how easy it would be to replace you.

Not for the first time you berated yourself for not having been able to keep your mouth shut on the day of the accident. Now you’d be blamed in front of everyone. You had always known that the First Order did not tolerate or overlook failures. Executions and other less permanent forms of punishments were not conducted in secrecy, but in broad daylight, often with an audience. It would be the same with you.

When you had almost reached your destination, the young General walked towards you. Willing your face to remain unflinching, you felt your stomach drop. He made you nervous, that one.

Out of habit you immediately straightened your back and saluted. Pain ripped through your shoulder, muscles and nerves still protesting whenever you applied pressure or moved too fast. You couldn't be certain of course, but the fact that the General had chosen you to investigate the matter of the failed test seemed too much of a coincidence. Surely, a higher ranking officer could have been bothered to continue displeasing Lin. Had it been part of your punishment? The General must've known that Lin was not likely to react kindly to you of all people to demand information of him. You had been the one who had confronted him in front of the General. While you had not meant for him to notice you at all, it couldn't be helped. It had placed you in the centre of this most regrettable matter and Lin knew it. Given his temper and his behaviour towards you before the accident, his outburst had not surprised you when you came to him, asking for the data. Only a fool would have taken professionalism in such a situation for granted. People who secured the position of General before the age of 35 weren't fools!

The tall man stared at you and you were quick to stare at his chin instead of his eyes. Direct eye-contact might have angered him and surely you were in no position to aggravate your superiors any further.

"Lieutenant." he greeted, no emotion in his voice. You supressed a shiver. "Follow!"

How could you have predicted what had happened next?

 

\---

 

Lin's little outburst did not exactly surprise him, yet he wondered what it was about Pesha that caused the man to lose his temper in such a way. He recalled that the Major had a wife and three children. The First Order more than encouraged reproduction, indeed most of the men and women had a family and children by the time they turned 25 standard years old. Surely Lin must have a daughter.

Did the problem root in this fact? Did the issue stem from her youth or her sex?

That insignificant thought was brushed aside as soon as it arose. Hux had no time for it and in the end it didn't matter why Lin acted like a petulant child; only that he did and that such misconduct would have consequences.

“General Hux, with all due respect, I really have to object!” he exclaimed in as indignant a manner as if their positions were switched.

That Hux’ cold gaze didn’t shut the man up was an achievement in itself, but it did something to the tight hold the younger man had previously had on his rightful anger. It loosened, if only for a moment. A hot, bright haze took hold of him and when it lifted and the firm hold was back in place he found himself standing, already half-across the stretch of space that had been between them.

With considerable effort and a growl that he only just was able to cover up by clearing his throat, he closed in on Lin, who made to rise to his feet also, but was pushed back down by a grip that didn’t yield.

“On what grounds would you object, Major?” Hux wondered, his voice dangerously calm. Pesha’s head snapped around when she heard that tone. Stable people who did not find themselves in the possession of an immediate death wish, would take it as a hint to keep their mouths shut. Tightly. As it turned out; Lin was either not stable or did have a death wish.

“I am her superior, sir! Surely I am more qualified to evaluating her skills than you.”

His shoulder was released. As if to restrain himself from punching the man, Hux placed his hands on his back in an imitation of a casual stance. Lin realised his mistake and started at the young man in utter shock.

“Sir… allow me to rephrase that!” he requested, but Hux was in no mood to allow the man more words than were absolutely necessary.

Without any hurry, he took hold of his comlink, and calmly, almost lazily asked someone on the other end to enter the room.

The trooper was enormous. Impossibly tall and clad in a immaculately polished chromium armour with a cloak draped over broad shoulders, she marched into the room like she was stepping onto a battle ground. Flanked by two stormtroopers who were clad in the usual white and black armour and almost looked ridiculously tiny next to her, Captain Phasma stalked up to General Hux, towering over him by several inches.

“Captain, you will escort this man to the detention unit and will personally see to his removal from the base as soon as possible. Any indiscretion and further misconduct is to be reported to me.”

“General, please…” came a last plea, but it was drowned in Phasma’s tight grip upon the man’s upper arm.

“Yes, sir!” she answered while yanking Lin to his feet without difficulty.

Without much fuss, but with quite a bit of noise, Lin was dragged from the room. His calls were cut when the door slid closed.

Finally, Hux turned his gaze towards Pesha, who seemed to be caught between wanting to appear as small as possible and remaining detached from the goings on around her. Her posture was impeccable, her eyes fixed straight ahead and her chin held up in an unwavering manner.

Her gloved hands gave her away. She had placed one on top of the other, the upper one clutching the bottom one. While he could not be entirely sure what her complexion looked like on a normal day, she did appear to be rather pale.

Deciding to go easy on her, he sat back down, giving her not quite a smile, but willed his face into not looking too stern.

“I expect you won’t let me down, Lieutenant.”

It was then that her eyes met his and this time she did not avert her gaze as if his would burn hers. Her lips thinned from pressure being applied and if possible, she drew herself up a little more.

“I shall try not to, sir!” she replied, meeting his gaze now.

He nodded slowly, his gaze neutral.  

“I won’t keep you any longer. You have work to do.” Hux told her evenly and she nodded.

“Certainly, sir.” she got to her feet and hurried to the door, when his voice had her freeze in stride once more.

“From now on all reports and calculations will be sent to me. I will have no more setbacks, Lieutenant.”

He had neither turned nor raised his voice. He didn’t have to.

Hux was certain she understood.

From now on nothing short of excellence would be acceptable.  
The Supreme Leader watched him closely and he had too many enemies to fail. The ranks of those who openly opposed him and his judgement had thinned over the years, but those who still did were viewed to have equal value as him. The likes of Kylo Ren, the youngest relict he had ever met with no sympathies for the First Order and their grand vision for the galaxy would never allow him to live down failure. Ren and others would pry at any chance to discredit him in front of Leader Snoke.

Thinking about it had hot anger run through his veins.

He wouldn’t be a failure!

“Of course not, sir! Certainly, sir.” her voice, having regained it’s calm and steady character interrupted his thoughts before she slipped out of the room without as much as a noise.

 

\---

 

While he did not see her for a couple of days afterwards, Hux indeed received several reports regarding the progress at regular intervals. Work on the new Base went on as scheduled. New quarters were built, kyber crystals were mined systematically and he got back to his plans for the navy.

One morning, approximately two weeks after the accident, he woke at 0430, as always, exercised until 0600, as always, took a shower, had his breakfast in the mess hall for the high ranking personnel by 0630, as always. During his breakfast he would review reports from off-world, most of the navy being under his personal command. Young Lieutenant Mitaka would have delivered them before he even stepped into the room without fail.

Today, things went a bit differently. After he had sat down, he reached for the datapad only for his fingers to grab at thin air. He frowned, already sensing that today would be one of those days when people would prove to him that their incompetence would surface the moment they weren’t closely monitored. Hux reached for his comlink when Lieutenant Pesha hurried into the hall, headed straight towards him. In her hand she held two datapads. Leaning back in his chair, he frowned as she saluted.

"Good morning, Lieutenant. At ease."

"Good morning, sir." she replied as her shoulders remained perfectly straight. "I was asked to deliver this."

With that, she held out one of the datapads. Hux frowned at this. It wasn't for her to do such tasks. While he did stretch out his hand towards the offered technical device, his eyes met hers with a stealthy and inquisitive gaze.

"Where is Mitaka?" he demanded, placing the pad next to his plate.

"Lieutenant Mitaka is indisposed this morning, sir." she informed him calmly, but those icy blue orbs only narrowed.

"You are not on duty for another two hours."

"Last night my team and I worked around another technical issue and before turning it in I wanted to double-check the facts before the report was sent to you, sir. I only meant to hand in my own report when I was told that Lieutenant Mitaka would be unable to attend his duties." she explained.

"You aren't cleared to handle information such as this, Lieutenant." he admonished, not even attempting to mask his anger while holding up the datapad between his fingers. He'd have to have a word with the officer in charge of communications. With spies only recently having been found out, they should know better than being so lax with who was handling classified information. While Pesha had not yet been on the receiving end of his fury, she was walking on thin ice. Why was nobody capable to upkeep even the most basic structures of command?

For a moment neither of them moved, nor spoke. He then watched as she breathed in, stood straighter, appearing to grow one or two inches. Not quite the result he had meant to achieve. Generally, people shrank away from him instead of making themselves more visible.

"I apologize for the irregularity, General." There were no excuses or stuttered explanations. Good. He hadn’t asked for any! Instead he was met by an air of composure that probably should have been exasperating, but wasn’t. Her eyes had held an almost mild, pacifying expression while she had talked, but from one second to the next there was a glimmer of something. A mere flicker he could not place and it had him narrow his eyes.

"What is wrong with Mitaka?" he asked without even acknowledging her apology.

Her body remained rigid and at attention, yet her eyes –bravely having met his up to this moment– suddenly dropped towards the ground. Opening her mouth to answer, she hesitated and closed it again before timidly looking up at him again.

"Sir, I assure you..." she told him in a very careful, almost beseeching and calming tone that had him clench his fists.

"You will answer me right now, Lieutenant Pesha or I will be forced to revaluate my former stance on Major Lin's own opinion of your person." Hux told her in that detached voice of his that was far more disconcerting than angry shouting or hisses could ever be.

Pesha closed her eyes so briefly that some might have mistaken it for a blink of an eye, but he was more observant than that. She swallowed heavily. Then the expression in her eyes was back.

"He is being treated in the sickbay, sir. Apparently, he was infected by some ailment that currently makes the rounds among the personnel. It is rather contagious, thus it was thought wiser for him to remain there instead of formally being discharged from his duties by you after delivering the datapad. I only took it upon myself because I assumed it would make matters more efficient, seeing as I was present and would have passed here on the way back to the dorms."

Hux frowned.

"Why wasn't I informed about this ailment?" he found himself wondering.

"That I would not know, sir. I do not have clearance."

Something that was even remotely akin to an amused huff would never leave him, instead his cheek-muscles twitched in a pitiful attempt of an amused expression. Before he could continue, she held out the second datapad she had been carrying with her towards him. She did not take a step forward as she did this. Whether she was intimidated by his disgruntled state or insecure of how to proceed wasn’t quite as obvious to him as it should be. The frown on his face was less fierce and more confused as he allowed his gaze to travel towards the pad and –while he reached out to take it– back up towards her face.

“This is…?”

“These are the calculations and plans for a solution that will stabilize the weapon. We’ve designed an oscillator, which will allow the energy to be contained while being assembled and converted.” While she briefly explained, he dumped three sweeteners into his caff.  
Hux activated the datapad, briefly looked over the math and then switched to the layout.  
“A rather large construction, no?” he commented and took a sip of his sickeningly sweet drink. He hated the sugar, but he needed the energy.

She shrugged.

“It is a large weapon.”

Now he did allow himself to smile.

  
It was indeed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies!  
> Thanks once more for the kudos as well as the comments. Those little (1)s made me unreasonably happy.  
> I am a bit insecure about this chapter.  
> Let me know what you think if you'd like :)  
> Hope you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 4

 

His schedule was one of the few things Armitage Hux cherished. It had to be followed religiously and all who prevented this suffered the consequences; namely his ire. So, when he entered the mess hall the next day right on time after having spoken with central intelligence about a short list of officers who were allowed to handle information that would be headed his way, he expected to find it being delivered or -which would be preferable- the intelligence and reports already at his usual spot.

The room wasn't busy at this hour, one of the reasons he preferred arriving here before 7. The grey walls were made of metal, kept polished and clean at all times. There were no decorations safe for the First Order's banner, no means to look outside in the lower mess halls. One of the privileges that came with being a high-ranking officer was a vast viewing pane, which allowed a view over the green forests and high mountains. Whereas some enjoyed the natural light and the difference to the interior of the base, Hux didn't care all too much for it. If or rather as soon as Pesha's team would work out the specifics, a large part of this environment would change drastically. This landscape would be altered. It wasn't worth his attention if it wasn't going to last. He had never been a man who believed in short-lived pleasures of any kind. He preferred to thoroughly enjoy. His father's demise had been one of those happy moments he indulged himself to relive on a regular basis. The young man doubted he'd ever get sick of it.

Outside, spring was causing the fauna to come to life. Another short-lived pleasure he had no time for. Something he would have taken great pleasure in however would have been finding the reports of last night at his usual spot. Alas, it was not to be. He once more found the reports, messages and updates that ought to have been waiting for him to be absent. They remained so for several minutes that he was forced to do nothing. Around him, people spoke softly, not daring to raise their voices now that he was present.

Finally, the head of communications turned up, a broad-shouldered man who wasn't much smaller than Hux himself. The General set down his caff, glaring.

The next morning, news was brought five minutes late and five more minutes were wasted on yelling at Mitaka's substitute. So, when the trembling man tried to explain that downloading and decoding the data from one of the Base's institutions due to the complex code, which had been used to secure it, Hux almost hauled his mug at the young officer.

His mood remained sour for the rest of the day and his inferiors suffered from it. It was around noon, when he was overseeing a test Pesha's team had scheduled that he slowly, but surely began to stop glaring at thin air.

Things went according to plan. As he stood in the observatory, along with a few others who were important enough to be granted permission to attend, he realised the differences in performance. There was no grandeur around the incident, no showmanship that Lin had sometimes used to impress him and other higher-ups. None of the engineers was even in the observatory with him and the others. All of them were busy with their work, focused on success rather than praise. The General scanned the room for the faces he was used to. Petty Officer Nud’da was busy explaining something to three of the technicians, whereas Lieutenant Pesha and three others of the engineering team were working on something he couldn’t quite make out because a console was in the way. While he waited for the test to begin, a few of the team would salute, straighten or nod in deference when they caught him watching. Pesha was too caught up in her work to take notice, no matter how long he tried to fathom what it was that she was currently doing. She wasn’t trying to stand out, though it was obvious that she had played an important role in the planning as well as the execution of the new approach. More than once someone called for her –though it wasn’t possible to hear the request– and she calmly assisted one of her co-workers.

It was a beautiful thing to watch, really. No hurried, unplanned movements, no last-minute alterations, no one who simply stood around clueless, leaving their colleagues to tell them what to do. Ever member of the team had a role and seemed to know the steps they’d need to undertake to reach the desired result. He knew enough about engineering to know that the team was able to anticipate what would happen in the next few minutes.

They had –for now– settled for a different approach to Lin’s, ensuring that the machinery would be properly cooled and the energy sufficiently contained. When the proper amount of energy had been accumulated, the team waited a moment before beginning their calculations. Ten minutes later, the machinery was allowed to cool down since it had been decided not to use the laser on any on-planet targets. The first use for the large construction, which would be undertaken soon, would be to move the planet out of his usual orbit.

It was an ambitious undertaking, but not impossible he had been assured.

Just as he turned to leave, he caught sight of the officer who had received a telling-off for his tardiness in the morning. Obviously unaware of Hux’ presence the man made a straight line towards the engineering team.

Pesha and a Lieutenant whose name escaped him received him. Pesha had met him with a friendly smile he had never seen, yet it dropped quickly while they were listening to what he had to say. The exchange did not go on for long before Pesha began to speak very fast with her co-worker, while making reassuring gestures towards the other man. The whole thing did not take longer than a minute before the female Lieutenant left the room along with the member of communications that had replaced Mitaka this morning, patting his back gently.

The General had no time to dwell on what exactly this had been about. Just after the test, a presentation and debriefing of today’s results had been scheduled. During the following debriefing, the engineers informed him about the next steps. The military engineers were all present, standing in a half-circle in front of the three tables that were positioned in one straight line to allow Hux as well as 3 other men. They were informed that without the oscillator the whole operation wouldn’t work, so personnel to built both the laser as well as the oscillator at the same time was requested. It should take them around one year to build the machines and another half year for appropriate testing, according to a woman around the age of 47.

Hux felt as close to happiness as was possible without sizable results. Impatience wasn’t one of his flaws and considering the delays and setbacks the operation had suffered from, one and a half years were a reasonable time for their undertaking.

Still…

“Can’t the process be accelerated?” he demanded, pretending that the length this would take displeased him. This was known to motivate people. Nobody in the team appeared to be surprised, the question not hitting them unprepared. Good!

“Unless we neglect several safety measures, I’m afraid no, sir!”, the man who had lead the presentation and had presented them with the team’s results stated.

Oh?

“Which safety measures?” Hux enquired further and the other man’s eyes glanced to the side. Following his line of sight, Hux’ blue eyes settled on Pesha who was nodding at her colleague before she took a step forward.

“First of all; keeping this operation a secret will cost time. The team is working with a code to ensure that nobody but the ones working on it will be able to make sense of the plans for example. Decoding them alone has proven to take time and effort even though the communication and intelligence department has been handed required knowledge to decode it. Lieutenant Torrell informed us just now that it caused a delay just this morning.”

Hux’ brows shot up before he could stop them but apart from that, his face remained neutral.

“Furthermore, we have insufficient access to some of the data taken from the Imperial archives. We are forced to wait for clearance to review the technology used on the two Death Stars. Although this procedure is logical to prevent intelligence falling into the wrong hands, it does cost time.”

“What do you suggest?” old General Ferna inquired patiently. Hux tilted his head at Pesha. What indeed?

The woman showed no sign of nervousness. Addressing Ferna directly, she spoke with no trace of insecurity.

“Major Lin’s removal from the project left the engineers without a leading officer. Once his successor is announced, I suggest they are given access. Not to the whole archive, certainly, but to every piece of data which relates in some way to the Death Star projects.” She paused for a moment, appearing to consider. Then her eyes met his own, their expression almost teasing. “It should shorten the process by approximately 2 months, sir.”

Slowly, very deliberately, he leaned back in his chair.

This was food for thought.

But something else had caught his attention. It had been said in passing, probably it would have been dismissed by anyone else. But like a weird itch, it would not leave him alone. Right now he could not address it, not with everyone in the room. It wasn’t important enough, so he remained silent, listening to the rest of the report as well as additional questions.

Twenty minutes later chairs were pushed back and people began leaving the room. When Pesha made to walk past him, he ordered her to join him in his office. His voice was hollow, causing himself to pause. With a puzzled expression, she followed, keeping a respectful distance between them. Their steps echoed from the walls as they walked through an almost empty corridor. Six Stormtroopers stepped aside as they passed them, allowing Hux space.

No words were spoken while Pesha followed him like a shadow, the sound of their steps falling into unison. It almost sounded like there was but one person marching down the hall in long, swift strides.

When they reached his office, he gestured for her to close the door behind her as he sat down. The woman quickly did as asked and then came to stand in front of his desk, arms firmly held at her sides.

“Would you care to explain to me where you think we are right now?”

Pesha frowned for but the blink of an eye, wondering what she had done wrong. His tone of voice hadn’t been sharp, but the question itself was a loaded one.

“We are stationed on the planet formerly known as Illum, soon to be known as Starkiller Base.”

She knew that this was not the answer to his question when he cocked a single brow at her without giving her a single clue to which answer he desired.

“I… I am sorry, sir, but I don’t understand.”

In one quick movement he was on his feet again, arms crossed behind his back. Walking around his desk slowly, he approached her with measured steps.

“You are a member of the First Order, currently stationed at a First Order facility. You are part of a military operation.” With that, he came to stand directly in front of her, only inches apart. With a detached expression he stared down at her without so much as lowering his head. When she continued staring straight ahead instead of looking up, the muscles in his jaw tensed, mouth forming a thin line.

“If Lieutenant Torrell requires to be mothered, he is in the wrong place.” He hissed, suddenly angrier than he had felt before, but not in the mood to question or regulate the emotion. “You will look at me when being addressed!” he yelled when she still showed no signs of any emotion, be it anger, fear or regret. Slowly, almost causing him to think every movement was deliberate, her head tilted back. Her gaze was the last thing to reach him. Her eyes had been fixed on his collar, but with a slow blink, they met his own with an unexpected lack of seeming anywhere near impressed with his outburst.

It hit him then. That expression he had only witnessed in passing before. Now it was there, displayed despite his anger.

Those were proud eyes, befitting a senator, a leader.

A queen.

Grinding his teeth, he glared down at her, daring her to cave in, to deflate like the insignificant inferior officer she ought to be.

Neither did she cave, not did she deflate.

Her eyes remained proud, her expression tense but neutral.

She was ready for everything he might throw at her.

Or was she?

“If you would rather take on the role of a mother, I’ll accept your formal termination of service right now. You are here to serve. You are not here to mother my officers and find pitiful excuses for their short comings.”

He had tried to keep his voice levelled, but its volume had risen drastically by the end of his rant. Fathoming why exactly he was this angry was impossible. All he knew was that he was one wrong word away from violence.

Her silence cooled his temper somewhat, but not enough to render him calm and collected. He whirled around and marched back to his chair to take a seat, hands slapped on the table.

“Rest assured, I will have words with Torrell. Yet your stupidity and lack of judgement both surprise and disappoint me, Lieutenant and given your current history I am beginning to understand why exactly Major Lin may have thought you unfit to serve.”

It was a low blow and he knew it.

She remained silent, but the expression didn’t waver.

“Get out!” he dismissed her, glaring at her in a last attempt to see her crumble. She didn’t and damn him, if this didn’t cause the urge to rip out his own hair. He ought to be calm. He ought to be content with today’s results.

Yet he wasn’t.

Watching her salute and turn to leave, he almost didn’t recognize his own voice at his next words.

“From now on you will be responsible to deliver the reports in the mornings.”

When she whirled around, her proud expression had been whipped off of her face. Instead, he saw shock and she had paled, looking ready to faint right there.

“0630 and not a minute later, Lieutenant.”

 

The reports always already waited for him when he sat down for breakfast in the following two weeks. There was never a sign of her, yet the security footage showed that it was always her delivering the datapad containing the assembled pieces of information. He did not see her during Mitaka’s convalescence and when the he entered the mess hall one day to find Mitaka placing the datapad next to his plate, he frowned in displeasure.

Mitaka was allowed to focus on his duties in the communication department and Pesha was reinstated until further notice.

When after a month he had seen neither hide nor hair of the young engineer, he began to watch the security footage more often. He had to make sure she wasn’t asking someone else to do it.

Every day without fail he arrived at 0630.

And lately he failed to understand why he felt like he was constantly too late.


End file.
